Mara Helmuth composes for computer and acoustic instruments, often using her own software. She is Associate Professor in Composition and the director of the College-Conservatory of Music Center for Computer Music at the University of Cincinnati. She holds a D.M.A. in music composition from Columbia University, a B.A. and M.M. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has taught at Texas A&M University and New York University.